What To Do When You Can’t Fix Yourself

It started innocently enough—just the women’s underwear pages of the Sears catalog. These were nothing remotely like today’s Victoria’s Secret ads, but adolescent curiosity intersected with unhealthy neediness in my heart. Eventually I was sneaking looks at bona fide porn. I felt guilty and knew it was an insult to my wife, my mother, and even the women in the porn. But I didn’t know to whom I could safely turn. I was powerless to stop myself.

I do not understand what I am doing, because I do not practice what I want to do, but … what I hate.
–Romans 7:15, CSB

Jesus was in Jerusalem for a festival. He stopped by the pool of water called Bethesda. Miracles happened there. Sometimes God would send an angel to stir the water, and the first person to jump in would be healed! Jesus saw one man who was too sick to make it to the pool before the others. He had been coming there for 38 years, always hoping in vain that he would be healed. Jesus asked, “Do you want to get well?” The man replied, “Sir, I have no one to put me into the pool” (vv. 6-7, CSB).

Helpless. People like this are everywhere. They struggle with pain and live in fear that others will discover how messed up they are. Subconsciously they know they are powerless to change, and they have no one to help them find the healing they so desperately want. All of us experience feeling powerless over sin at times and need healing. Even longtime Christians can find themselves doing what they don’t want to do. Since this is true, it’s good to remember that others all around us are struggling as we are. They just need someone to take them to the healing water that Jesus offers.

How has illness, sin, or addiction made you feel helpless?

Lord, thank You for rescuing us when we were helpless. Help us see the opportunities You give us to bring Your rescue into other people’s lives.

This article is an excerpt from the March 2017 issue of Stand Firm,a daily devotional for men.